


Relationship 101

by ApatheticAvatar



Category: Dangan Ronpa: Trigger Happy Havoc
Genre: Angst?, F/F, Fluff, I Don't Even Know, M/M, Multi, This is mostly for my friend tbh
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-06-25
Updated: 2019-07-02
Packaged: 2020-05-19 07:02:21
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 13,382
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19351876
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ApatheticAvatar/pseuds/ApatheticAvatar
Summary: This is just a cracky fic about Mondo and Taka being in a relationship. Set in the joke "Makoto is an accidental slut" AU where Makoto keeps accidentally triggering rumors about him sleeping around due to how my friend and I are playing School Mode in Trigger Happy Panic.





	1. Roleplay 101

**Author's Note:**

> This is really a joke fic where I get to write fluff for my friend (and myself) while sharpening up my writing skills. None of Danganropa Trigger Happy Havoc belongs to me in any way, shape, or form. If anyone actually read this, I hope you enjoy.

**Roleplay 101**

Now, Mondo Owada wasn’t an idiot in any sense of the word. He couldn’t say he was _smart_ either, but he was no dummy. So when he heard the rumor that his boyfriend Taka was into roleplay, _that he thought it was sexy_ , he did his research.

A few days in the library – with the excuse that he wanted to study for a test and no, Taka, he did not need help – was all he needed to look up the basics. Now, Mondo thought it was fine. Sure, he wasn’t gonna like, put on anything super weird or anything, but he was pretty sure he could do this whole roleplay thing. If it was gonna save his relationship with Taka and stop that little _punk Makoto from moving in on his fuckin’ boyfriend_ and this was somethin’ that Taka wanted, then yes, Mondo could do this.

He was in the middle of writing down some of the tips from the girlie magazine he’d borrowed from Sayaka – God, now _that_ was a conversation he wasn’t gonna ever live down – into a notebook when he felt a familiar hand clap onto his shoulder.

“Mondo!” Taka cried out happily, slinging his arm around Mondo’s shoulders in greeting, “How is your study session going?!”

Mondo quickly shut the notebook, forcing on a smile. “Hey, Taka,” he said as he scooched the notebook and magazine into a pile with the pile of textbooks he was using for cover, “So, uh, ya know what’s for lunch today? ‘Cause I’m starvin’ and - ”

But Taka was giving him that Look, the look he used whenever he was disappointed in someone. Mondo’s insides felt like they had suddenly done a loop-de-loop, “Mondo!” He thrust a finger into Mondo’s face, “If you really want to study well, you have to _eat_ well beforehand!” He threw his hands up, cocking his head to the side, “You should have told me you wanted a snack! Now that I’m thinking about it, you missed our agreed upon lunchtime!”

He immediately launched into a lecture – boy, was Taka good at givin’ lectures – about how missing meals could “greatly reduce his ability to study” or somethin’. Mondo let him rant for a little while as Taka helped him gather up his things. He leaned into him for a moment as Taka finished with – “And I worry about you when you don’t eat!”

“I know, sorry,” He reassured him, “How ‘bout we go get somethin’ to eat right now?”

Taka beamed at him and nodded.  He gave Mondo an affectionate slap on the back and the two of them started walking out when –

“Hey, Taka!” Makoto called out from behind a bookcase, where he hadn’t noticed him. The sight of the smaller boy made Mondo involuntarily clench his fists in order to keep himself from whalin’ on the guy. “You mind helping me real quick with this math problem? I can’t find the right book to tell me how to solve it…”

Fuckin’ traitor goody-two-shoes that he was, Taka immediately went to go help ‘im out. Mondo stuck his hand into his pocket, watching ‘em both and frowning as Taka went into teacher mode.

He knew he probably had nothin’ to worry about. He’d already _confronted_ Makoto, been told that there was absolutely _nothin’_ going on between them, and Makoto was such a little bitch that he probably wouldn’t even dare _look_ at Taka the wrong way ever again ‘cause he knew Mondo would beat his ass if he did. But there was still somethin’, somethin’ telling him that maybe, maybe he wasn’t good enough for Taka even if it had been someone else tryin’ to talk to him.

He’d talked to Sakura about it. She was an awful good listener, even if he’d felt stupid as hell when he knocked on her door. With two girlfriends of her own, she’d been the first person Mondo had thought of that had any experience with relationships that wasn’t the “bang ‘em and forget ‘em,” advice he’d gotten from Leon.

He was a biker gang leader. He had shit grades. He was scary and unapproachable. He came from a “bad” family.

(He was a murderer.)

Sakura had sat him down, given him a protein drink, and stopped him in the middle of his screaming rant of how he wasn’t good enough to tell him that he _was_ good enough. (Mondo wasn’t ever going to tell her that the way she said it like it was actually a matter of _fact_ instead of her opinion nearly made him cry.) She’d listened for a while longer, he’d gotten some shit off his chest, they bitched a bit about her girlfriends and his boyfriend, and then he went to bed, feelin’ a lot better.

Sakura’s advice was more or less just talk to Taka and be there for him. This was probably a misunderstandin’, and yeah, he should be there for ‘im and all that shit and it was kinda scary since Taka was his first and only boyfriend _ever_ and all that. He was gonna be a good boyfriend! He _was_ a good boyfriend.

(But he was still jealous.)

(He still wanted to punch Makoto’s lights out because Taka was the best friend Mondo had ever had and he didn’t want to lose him and even the _thought_ made him real upset.)

“Alright! If you need any more help, let me know, Makoto!”

The loud cheer jolted Mondo out of his thoughts just in time to see Taka racing – whatever happened to no runnin’ in the school, huh? – back over to him. Taka gave him a big smile, clearly pleased with himself.

He loved teachin’ people things and shit and… like a flash of lightning, Mondo suddenly had a fuckin’ _brilliant_ idea.

Before Taka could say anything, Mondo grabbed him by the shoulders. “Hey, uh, Taka!” He said, and from the way his boyfriend jumped, it actually really startled him but he plowed ahead anyway, “Ya know somethin’, I want some help with math, too!”

Taka immediately lit up like a fuckin’ Christmas tree. “I’ll gladly help you, Mondo!” He declared in his usual ‘I love helpin’ everyone and everythin’ under the sun’ kinda way. In fact, he started to bounce a little on his heels as if he was abso-fucking-lutely _delighted_ to study math with him. “What type of math are you looking for assistance with? Geometry?” He started listing them off on his fingers, “Algebra? I’m great at algebra, it’s my favorite! Or perhaps something a little bit more challenging like trigonometry?!”

Mondo leaned forward and gave him a kiss on the forehead, looking (glaring) down at Makoto who was staring silently by the bookshelf like he wasn’t sure what to do now or somethin’. He smirked. “You know what? Anythin’ you want, I’ll need help with,” He said to Taka as he watched the smaller kid start to slink off into the back part of the library, feeling (very) pleased with how pale and nervous Makoto looked as he walked off. “How about you meet me in my room, ten sharp?”

* * *

 

One of the stupidest but smartest things that Taka had ever put as a rule for their relationship was their mandatory cuddle times. At first, Mondo had thought he was either fuckin’ high or fuckin’ _stupid_ for putting aside a specific time a week where they had to hug and shit. Wasn’t that shit supposed to be spontaneous or somethin’? Had to be in the mood for it, ya know?

But Taka had made him promise: ten sharp on Wednesdays was their mandatory cuddle time. And he quickly found out that it wasn’t necessarily _sex_ , either. (Not that Taka and Mondo hadn’t gone that far yet; Mondo didn’t feel ready for it, surprisingly enough.) No, mandatory cuddle time was just that: ten o’clock sharp on Wednesdays, Taka showed up in his room and they got into bed and cuddled for either the rest of the night or til Taka went back to his room. They just talked for ages and ages and it was honestly one of the best times of the week for ‘im even if he was kind of tired the next day. Today was Tuesday, though, and he just needed an excuse for Taka to come in today instead of tomorrow.

So there Mondo was, in his bed, shoes and socks off, switching off between staring down at his notebook and watching the clock tick away the minutes until ten sharp (Taka). The shittily-written words written over the lined pages hadn’t changed since he’d written them down but he felt like they were kind of swimming around in his brain at this point.

Roleplay 101 (he blamed Taka for this)

_Decide on theme._

_Decide on character._

Well, Taka liked bein’ a teacher and teaching people and shit so _obviously_ Mondo had to be a student. He seemed super happy teachin’ Makoto, anyway.

(fucking Makoto)

_Decide on character for Taka._

Done and done.

He had a whole list of shit for them to look through, though, if that didn’t work out: nurse and patient, teacher and student, slave and master (his face _burned_ when he thought about this one and he quickly put it as far back into the back of his mind as he could manage ‘cause Jesus _Christ_ ), doctor and nurse, it went on for a bit.

_Get costumes?_

Again, it wasn’t like he was going to wear a schoolgirl uniform or anythin’ but if Taka wanted him to dress up or somethin’, he wasn’t opposed to it. He could probably steal a lab coat from somewhere in the school if Kyoko or someone hadn’t already grabbed them all. And there was ties and shit in the school store for teachers! Mondo was pretty sure there was a place somewhere he could get a pair of glasses, too. That punk Byakuya would probably know.

_Talk sexy._

Mondo had no idea how to dirty talk Taka and quite frankly, the idea kinda scared him. Taka was smart as hell, what the fuck could he even say? The man was like a fuckin’ robot; did Taka even like, jerk off or somethin’ or was –

There was a sudden ringing at the door (and in Mondo’s ears) as he slammed the notebook shut, shoved it under his pillow, and hopped out of bed. He could do this. Mondo pulled off his coat, throwing it hard at his chair as he marched to the door. He could fuckin’ do this!

Taka beamed at him when he got the door open, half-hidden as he was under a giant stack of books that were all thick enough to kill a cat with if they got dropped and dragging – was that a fucking _chalkboard_? – behind him. “Mondo!” He walked in, cheerfully stacking the pile onto Mondo’s (pretty much brand-new) desk and pulling up the chalkboard so that was easily visible from the desk. “Now, you seemed pretty unclear on what you needed so I brought a good amount of reference books for you to choose from!” He spread his arms invitingly at said pile, like he was an announcer or somethin’ from TV and this was Mondo’s prize.

Mondo smiled, feeling weirdly… touched at the sheer amount of effort Taka put in for this.

He almost felt bad about them not actually studying.

He scratched at his nose, coughed, before shrugging. “Actually, I just wanted to getcha into my room for tonight, Taka,” Mondo admitted. Taka’s face fell like he was actually disappointed that they weren’t going to get to study (which he probably was). Mondo tilted his head and went back to his bed, sitting on the edge of it. He patted the spot next to him, “Are ya mad at me?” He asked.

Taka scowled at him (actually scowled, it was an expression he didn’t actually make all that often and it was fuckin’ _priceless_ ) and put his hands on his hips. “You told me that you needed help with math!” He accused, sounding really for real offended. He walked over anyway, still glaring up at him as he plopped down next to him.

“Well, prolly do need help with math,” Mondo said and, noting Taka’s eager expression, put a finger on his boyfriend’s mouth to stop him from talking, “But not tonight. I wanna do cuddle night tonight.”

Taka pushed his hand away and leaned back, seeming to relax as he thought this over. “But tonight is Tuesday,” He looked concerned, “Did something happen for you to need cuddle night?”

Suddenly, he couldn’t go through with his seduce Taka away from Makoto plan.

Sakura had told him, firmly and made him _swear_ , to be honest. So he was.

“I’m jealous.”

Taka stared at him. He blinked, looking like Mondo had suddenly just reached over and bitch-slapped him across the face and he didn’t know what to do about it. Taka’s mouth opened, closed, opened again before he reached over to put his hands on Mondo’s shoulders.

“Why in the world would you be jealous?” He demanded.

Mondo wrapped one hand around one of Taka’s. “I’m not jus’ jealous; I’m _hella_ jealous,” He clarified and he watched as Taka’s face fell even further and Taka looked both upset and very confused, “’Cause everyone is sayin’ you and Makoto are havin’ a thing right now. Dat true?”

Mondo’s breath caught in his throat as he waited.

For a second or two, Taka didn’t say a word. He just stared at him.             

Mondo’s heart felt like he suddenly smashed it in his hand.

God, fuck, was Taka actually fuckin’ cheating on ‘im? He knew Makoto was all soft and cute and shit kinda like Chihiro was but in like, that way that made him more like a puppy and a good listener and all and he was cute (Mondo wasn’t cute or a good listener or _anythin’_ ) and apparently Makoto was just making his way through everyone right now so maybe Taka just liked how Makoto looked a lot better (and wasn’t insecure about datin’ a guy or anythin’ from the notches on his goddamn belt) and–

“ _Of course not_!” Taka exploded, suddenly forcing Mondo backward as he tackled him, knocking Mondo flat on his ass and the wind out of his pipes as Taka crushed him in the tightest hug that Mondo had ever gotten in his life. “Why on earth would anyone even _think_ that?!”

He was warm and almost small in his arms as Mondo crushed him back and he was suddenly real glad that Taka was kinda yelling into his shoulder that he would never cheat on him, that was ridiculous ‘cause if his boyfriend saw that he was kinda tearing up over this, he would _never_ be able to live it down. He laughed over how fucking stupid this was, though it came out more like he was sobbing and Taka went quiet and just hugged him even tighter.

“I am not cheating on you,” He said even more firmly, though it was muffled because Taka still had his head buried in Mondo’s neck and shoulder, “Don’t even think that I am!”

“Okay,” Mondo said back, sinking in relief into his pillow ‘cause holy shit, he felt like mush and like he was never going to let go of him. “You’re not cheatin’ on me,” he pressed a hard kiss to the top of Taka’s head when a sudden thought hit him. He pushed Taka away just enough to have him look at him and narrowed his eyes at him, “then what was with the rumor you were bangin’ Makoto in the dinin’ room?”

Taka turned bright red, suddenly unable to speak. “ _What_?” He demanded in a startled whisper, shaking his head no over and over as he processed this. “Who told you I was…” He turned even more red, his voice getting so much quieter that Mondo despite being less than a foot away had to strain to hear it, “ _having sexual intercourse with Makoto Naegi_?!”

Mondo lifted a hand and started counting off the names on his fingers, “Leon,” Taka’s eyes bulged, “Celeste,” Taka looked downright murderous, “Hifumi.”

“This is an outright lie!” Taka fumed.

“Sayaka.”

“I am being _SLANDERED_!”

 “Toko tol’ me it so I knew it was prolly fake, Junko said that I needed to talk to you, Byakuya wanted ta kill you for it –”

“Byakuya needs to speak to his boyfriend and to stop spreading _lies_ about me!”

“Sakura said that it was better that I know about it but that she thinks it wasn’t true ‘cause Monokuma was the one who told _her_.”

“EVEN OUR HEADMASTER IS TELLING LIES ABOUT ME?!”

“Chihiro slipped me a note inta my locker while we were workin’ out.”

“EVEN CHIHIRO BELIEVES THIS FALSEHOOD?!”

“And Hiro ‘cause he said it was bad for the chakra of the school if I didn’ know and ‘cause I threatened to break his fuckin’ crystal ball if he didn’ tell me the goddamn truth.”

At this, Taka rolled away from him to bury his face in Mondo’s sheets. He let out a loud whine that sounded like he was a puppy that had suddenly gotten kicked that was thankfully muffled ‘cause if Mondo had heard it full-force, he may have busted out crying. Mondo reached over and awkwardly rubbed Taka’s back slowly, trying to show ‘im that it was okay. After a few moments of this, Taka rolled onto his back, looking one hundred percent done and exhausted.

 “And that there was some kinky sex roleplay thing you two was doin’ which is why you were cheatin’ on me.” Mondo finished.

Taka side-eyed him and shook his head. “And what, exactly,” he sounded so gravelly and frankly pissed in a way that was doin’ something weird to Mondo’s stomach and a few other places, ‘cause holy shit, Taka was actually _pissed_ , “am I supposed to be roleplaying with Makoto?”

“Dunno, Hiro didn’t tell me,” He deadpanned before opening his arm up to allow Taka to mush his way back into his side, “That’s why I invited you here tonight; I was gonna try ta roleplay with ya so that maybe you’d stop.”

(So Taka wouldn’t leave him.)

“I’m not roleplaying with Makoto Naegi,” Taka said, so fuckin’ furious that he was actually shakin’ a little as he said it and wow, Mondo was getting a lil hot and bothered as Taka stretched his legs out and grabbed him by the hip to pull him in further. “I don’t _want_ to roleplay with Makoto Naegi. I’d want to roleplay with you if I have to do that kind of thing.” He stopped, then turned to look at him curiously. “What exactly _IS_ this roleplay?”

Oh, sweet Jesus.

Mondo’s face _burned_. “Uh, you know,” Taka clearly didn’t fuckin’ know, “It’s a… couple thing.”

Sex sex sex, fuck, fuck he was really getting overheated, Taka felt so _warm_ and he just wanted to kiss his stupid sexy _face_ –

“ _We’re_ a couple,” Taka pressed insistently, bumping his elbow against Mondo’s side in emphasis. 

Mondo couldn’t lie to him. “It’s a sex thing, Taka.”

“Oh.”                                                                                                                                     

“You, like, pretend to be different people or shit ta like, spice it up in the bedroom or somethin’. Like a game or somethin’.”

Taka was quiet, watching him with a weird expression on his face that was making Mondo real fuckin’ uncomfortable so he just kept stammering.

“And like there’s categories like doctors and nurses and junk and it’s like pretend. That’s it.”

“And which one did you want to do?” Taka asked.

Mondo rubbed hard at his face and nowhere fuckin’ else because shit fuck, this was like the most **_awkward_** conversation he’d ever had about sex _including_ when he’d gotten the Talk from his brother. Jesus, what would Daiya even _say_ about this?!

**_ Be honest. _ **

He just blurted it out. “Well, you like teaching and junk so I was thinkin’ you’d like teacher and student.” Mondo admitted, covering his eyes with a hand so that he didn’t have to look at Taka’s face and be even more embarrassed – oh holy fuck, he’d just done all this fucking shit for nothing and this was so fuckin’ stupid – “And you know, ‘cause you’re smart. I’d want you to teach me about this junk ‘cause I don’t know how to do it with ya and I’m nervous and I didn’t want Makoto ta take ya away so yeah. Teacher and student. ‘Cause I’m dumb.”

Taka kissed him. Hard. Mondo stopped breathing for like two seconds and felt a ringing in his ears as Taka worked him to the sheets, feeling him quickly crawl on top of him before Mondo finally kissed him back. “I don’t think you’re dumb,” Taka told him when they pulled apart for air and from the way he was lookin’ at him, Mondo knew he meant it. Then he grinned. “If I’m going to be your teacher, you’re going to have to work very hard! Can you do that, Mister Owada!”

Mondo’s mouth felt dry. “Uh… sure… teach.” It was awkward and kind of adorable as Taka beamed at him from on top of him. “You, uh…” He suddenly felt very distracted by the feeling of his boyfriend’s legs on both sides of him and his body pressed against his. “You, uh, gotta teach me math, right?” It came out as a question but Taka leaped up as if he had just commanded him.

“Of course I do! Now, I don’t know what your skill level is, so we are going to do a quick pop quiz!” Taka slammed his hand against the prepared chalkboard. “Can you do that, Mister Owada!” His eyes were shining brightly as Mondo slowly got up into a sitting position, staring as Taka quickly wrote down a series of equations on the board.

“Sure.”

Taka pointed to the first equation. It was next to a triangle with a little square in one of the corners and numbers in the others. Blank plus blank plus blank equals blank. “Now then! Do you remember what the total measurement of the angles of a triangle is?”

Mondo wondered what would happen if he got the wrong answer. The magazine said that he’d probably get a punishment for being a bad boy – what the fuck would _Taka_ even _do_ as a punishment – and the thought made him choke and have to swallow hard.

Taka could spank him.

Taka could call him names.

Hell, Taka might even tie ‘im up, _he had no idea just how kinky Taka actually was_ and fuck, he wanted to find out.

“Seven?” He smiled hopefully. 

Taka shook his head in disappointment. “No,” He said flatly. “The total measurement of a triangle, no matter what the triangle is, is always going to be 180 degrees! This is basic stuff; c’mon, Mister Owada!”

Wait.

Mondo frowned.

“Taka. Are you actually teaching me _math_?” He asked, unable to believe what he was actually witnessing.  

Taka turned to the board as if it was going to suddenly tell him the answer to the question, and nodded. “Yes? You clearly need the help, Mister Owada, if you can’t remember basic geometry,” He huffed, crossing his arms and giving him a confused scowl.

“This is _not_ roleplaying. This is you tutoring me, Taka,” Mondo was trying really hard not to laugh; his boyfriend was such a fuckin’ virgin and a _dork_ , “This is supposed to get sexy and fun if this was roleplayin’.”

“Learning _is_ sexy!” declared Taka in such a proud way that made his boyfriend really question if he actually knew the definition of the word.

Mondo got up, marching over to the chalkboard and running a finger hard down the middle of that fucking triangle. Well, two could play that fuckin’ game. Taka opened his mouth to protest angrily and Mondo grinned. “Whatcha gonna do,” He leaned in, getting so close to Taka’s face that he was practically kissing him. “Ki-yo-” Taka’s eyes suddenly got very wide and Mondo was practically purring as he finished saying Taka’s first name for the very first time since they’d gotten together “Ta-ka-sensei?”  

He watched, smirking, as Taka turned  _bright red_  and he chuckled; fuck fuck fuck he looked so adorable and he just wanted to - 

Mondo thrust a thumb at the board. With his other hand, he suddenly darted forward and grabbed Taka’s hip, dragging him into his body and staring hard at him so that his idiot boyfriend knew exactly what he was fuckin’ thinkin’ about. “180 degrees," and  _fucking fuck it_  if he felt awkward as shit and he had no idea what he was doing, he'd finally gotten the last of his fuckin' buttons pressed and he was gonna do this if it fucking  _killed_  him. “That lil box is 90 degrees.” He sounded it out a second time, tasting the name as he pushed Taka into the board and rocked his hips into his. “Ki-yo-ta-ka-sen-sei. Sir.”

Taka looked like he was about to faint and he very visibly swallowed. Hard.

“That makes it a right triangle,” Mondo cupped Taka’s chin. “Is that right, Kiyotaka-sensei?”

* * *

 

Mondo aced his next math test and he could never look Taka in the face when he was tutoring one of the other students in math ever again.


	2. Mornings After 101

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Why not, let's keep this fluff train going. Danganropa is not mine nor is anything making me a buckaroo. This is just for fun.

**Mornings After 101**

Clearly, Kiyotaka Ishimaru had failed as a romantic partner.

He was lying on his side in such a state of disarray that he knew that if any other of his classmates saw him, they would be more than just startled, they’d be horrified. His normally pristine jacket and shirt had been forcibly ripped open, the buttons were gone and he was probably never finding them again, his pants were somewhere in Saturn at this point, he was ungodly sweaty and sticky and who knows what else, and he was covered in so many bruises ( _hickeys,_ they were called _hickeys_ ) that he looked like he had just gone ten rounds in a boxing match with a gorilla. _(And Taka had loved every second of it.)_

The gorilla in question, who Taka was currently watching sleep off their activities, was snoring softly into his pillow. Mondo looked exhausted and even though they _really_ should have gotten some _actual_ studying done, he didn’t have the heart to wake him up. Because Taka had failed him as a romantic partner.

Taka’s stomach twisted miserably and he very slowly, very quietly started to sit up so to not disturb Mondo. He’d gotten some foolish, ridiculous idea about their classmate Makoto and how Taka was being _adulterous_ with him – what on earth were their classmates _thinking_ to even suggest such an idea?! – and had gone above and beyond to try to…

Taka swallowed hard, his face burning as he shook his head reproachfully at himself.

There was no point in lying, not even to himself. There had been no _try_. Mondo _had_ seduced him.

And Taka felt like a piece of poop.

(He would never admit to saying that particular word aloud but he really did feel like a piece of shit.)

He reached over to lightly touch the side of Mondo’s face, his fingers brushing down his cheek. His significant other stirred a bit at the touch but ultimately kept his eyes closed, just mumbling something that Taka couldn’t quite make out into his pillow. He looked… well, not _innocent_ , in what world would Mondo Owada, the Ultimate Biker Gang Leader, ever look _innocent_ … but at peace. He looked relaxed in a way that was actually rather rare. His shoulders were down, his hands were unclenched, and there was even a faint smile on his face despite the fact that Mondo was fast asleep.

Taka had failed him.

He’d known that Mondo was _not okay_ with their relationship and that Mondo had been nowhere near trying to do any sort of bedroom activities quite yet.

The two of them had just… kind of fallen for each other by accident, despite how Mondo was pretty heterosexual before they had ever met and Taka had never really thought about it but assumed that he’d probably marry a woman and have children with her. He never in a million, gazillion years would have thought he would fall for a _six foot two male biker gang leader with a pompadour_ who beat the living snot out of people for looking at him wrong and had only gotten into their prestigious school by being the most Ultimate biker gang leader that had ever existed.

He would have _laughed_ at anyone who told him that in a year or two, he’d be walking around and holding hands with said biker gang leader and coaxing him into studying for their history test!

He would have laughed even harder if that said hypothetical person told him that he was completely and utterly in love with that biker gang leader!

But he was and Taka wanted…

“Taka,” a tired voice snapped him out of his thoughts as Mondo’s eyes opened, closed, and then shut against completely. “Turn off that fucking light, will ya? I’m sleepin’.” That was clearly a lie because Mondo was no longer sleeping if he was able to have a conversation but Taka reached over and turned off the bedside lamp anyway.

After a moment, when the darkness had settled in the room, he felt a slight tug at his waist and Mondo pulling him into his arms. He let himself be pulled, settled his head between Mondo’s neck and shoulder where he loved to lean into and chatter away about inconsequential things during their cuddle time, and just let himself be pulled in. Mondo exhaled softly into Taka’s hair, mumbling something as his arms closed around Taka’s waist.

“Love you.”

Taka’s heart felt like it had suddenly grown three sizes!

This was the very, very first time Mondo had ever said he loved him.

(It had been the first time he’d said his entire name instead of just Taka or “class prez” the way he sometimes said mockingly or goody-two-shoes or another insult. He’d been Kiyotaka for the first time tonight.)

“I love you, too!” Taka whispered forcibly, wrapping his arms around his significant other’s chest and hugging him close in order to prove that he did indeed love him.

Mondo didn’t say anything but after a few moments, had started to snore again. He must have fallen back asleep. Taka was a little disappointed but he just leaned up to press a kiss to Mondo’s jaw and settle back down to try to sleep a bit himself.

Taka wanted to tell him that he loved him one more time because he knew that Mondo wasn’t okay with their relationship.

He’d been very unwilling to even _try_ when they had started to get closer, had avoided Taka for days when he had figured out his feelings in the hopes that they would go away (he’d told Taka later) until Taka had locked them both in the sauna where they had become friends and forced him into an hour-long screaming match that had ended in both the truth coming out and them kissing (angrily making out) for the first time.

It had taken nearly a full month before Mondo had been okay with holding his hand for longer than a few seconds. It had taken longer for Mondo to be able to hold Taka’s hand for longer than a minute when they were in public instead of locked firmly behind Mondo’s door where his guard would drop and he was able to express himself a little bit more. Taka wasn’t a particularly affectionate person but whenever Mondo would suddenly seize up and rip himself away from him because one of their classmates had appeared within eyesight, he felt like, metaphorically, his heart was breaking.

He felt sometimes that Mondo didn’t want to be with him and he worried that maybe Mondo was only with him because he had pressured him to give them (him) a chance.

So he told himself that it was because Mondo was respecting his being on the Morals Committee. The Morals Committee had to show a good example for the other students, especially when they were in a relationship! Public displays of affection were taboo! It was fine that Mondo didn’t want to hold his hand in public! He had to be a good example!

(It didn’t hurt, it didn’t hurt at all)

Taka buried his face in Mondo’s shoulder, speaking quietly to his significant other though it was really more to himself than anyone. “I love you,” he hugged him close, “I love you so much; please don’t leave me,” Mondo snored softly but nuzzled him, sighing in his sleep, “You’re my best friend.”

Mondo didn’t answer.

Stupid Mondo.

(Mondo wasn’t stupid, Taka was just upset.)

Taka shifted slightly, uncomfortable in both the tight embrace – Mondo didn’t want to let him go – and the fact that he was still more or less dressed in his uniform, tatters though it may be. He was even still wearing his boots because Mondo had demanded that “Sensei” keep them on and Taka hadn’t had the mental capacity to undo the laces by the time they had thrown themselves into the bed and then had been thoroughly distracted afterward to even think about them. He wiggled his toes a little. What was so quote sexy unquote about these boots? He didn’t quite understand but the furious (aroused) look on Mondo’s face had been…

Taka’s face burned.

Something.

(Unbelievably attractive.) 

_“Don’t you fuckin’ take those boots off, sensei; I’m gonna fuck you in those goddamn stupid **sexy** fuckin’ boots if it’s the last thing I do, Kiyotaka!”_

He wiggled a little bit more. Sexy. He had never been called that before. He beamed shyly before closing his eyes.

* * *

 

A Morals Committee member’s day began _sharply_ at six AM and for the first time in his life, Taka wanted to sleep in. For the first time in his life, when his internal alarm clock jolted him awake at precisely six AM, Taka wanted to murder it and pass back out. But no, he had duties he needed to perform and things he had to do in order to start his day properly. He reluctantly began to move his all-too-heavy body, feeling like he hadn’t slept at all.

He rubbed his neck, massaging the stiffness out of it as he slowly peeled himself out of Mondo’s embrace. The movement had an undesired effect.

“The fuck you goin’?” Mondo slurred into his side. It was almost a whine, if Mondo had been conscious enough to make it such. He grabbed Taka’s waist as if he was trying to keep him there by force. “Don’t go,” he insisted before slumping over his pillow, snores already coming out of his mouth as he went right back to dream land.

Taka smiled. He would have loved to stay but he needed a shower and a fresh uniform. And he had duties to perform. He very carefully pulled himself away and, unable to help himself, gave Mondo a kiss on the cheek and tucked him in properly. How he had been able to sleep with half of the covers hanging off of him and with most of his clothes still on was beyond him but at the very least he could cover his significant other back up so _he_ could sleep well.

His heart still hurt though when he quietly closed the door behind him and went to his room with Mondo’s plea still echoing in his ears.

He’d read in some of Toko’s books that the walk after such activities back to one’s own living quarters was known as a “walk of shame.” He didn’t feel ashamed, however, just a bit antsy at the idea of being caught with his ripped up clothing and missing pants because he couldn’t find them and having to explain himself on why he was sneaking around with bruises around his chest and neck – oh, no, oh, dear, how on earth was Taka going to hide those and really, they couldn’t be _that_ bad, right? – and all.

When he flipped the light switch on in his bathroom and stared into his bathroom mirror, he didn’t recognize himself at all. The Taka staring back at him through the glass looked exhausted. His hair was an absolute mess. His mouth looked almost swollen from the sheer amount of kisses and there was a bit of a rash in a few places from the friction burn from Mondo’s stubble. He was covered in massive bruises ( _hickeys_ ) that dotted his throat – how was he supposed to _hide_ those?! – all the way to the inner part of his thigh where Mondo had… been particularly affectionate. He looked… as if he had _just_ been, as Mondo might say, freaked and freaked _hard_ instead of having woken up from a night of… passion, as Toko would say.

Which he had.

He had just woken up from a night of passion with his significant other.

Taka cleared his throat and decided, for absolutely no reason, he was to have a cold shower today.

* * *

 

Taka neatly fastened his uniform, buttoning up every single button all the way up to his neck. Luckily, the worst of it all was able to be hidden relatively well under the high collar of his uniform and the rest was underneath his clothing. He ran a hand through his wet hair and gave himself an encouraging grin. He was in an incredible mood today! Despite not sleeping well, he felt like he had a lot of energy and felt so full of pep that he just wanted to get the day started!

Six fifteen AM. He had plenty of time to start his very first task of the day, making sure that the kitchen was well supplied and had the percolators started before any of the other students were awake. Nearly everyone at Hope’s Peak Academy was an avid caffeine enthusiast and while Taka himself preferred a nice cup of decaffeinated tea, he was not one to disallow the harmless indulgences of his friends!

He slammed the door behind him as he charged out of his room, almost humming to himself (but not quite out of respect to the early morning) as he made his way to the kitchen.

Hina, usually among the first awake due to a rigorous and elaborate swim program, was already standing at one of the counters, apparently preparing herself some breakfast.

“Good morning, Hina!” Taka called out in greeting.

Hina, in the middle of taking a sip of her beverage, merely waved vigorously to say hello to him.

He smiled at her and busied himself in readying the first appliance – a light roast coffee for Byakuya, Toko, and Leon – to start brewing. Behind him, he heard Hina setting her cup down and the scrape of her stool as she seemed to get up.

“Good morning, Taka!” She greeted him at last, which made him turn around and smile at her. He offered a coffee mug (she wasn’t much for coffee but apparently enjoyed a cup or two only in the mornings) as he began the second percolator. But she didn’t take it, instead coming over to stand next to him.

Strange; perhaps he needed to greet her again. “Good morning, Hina!” He said again, smiling happily at his friend.

She rubbed her chin thoughtfully. “You’re, like, in a really good mood today,” She said it like a statement, though there was something a little… funny in _how_ she had said it, like she wasn’t sure.

Taka grinned. “Oh, I’m in a _great_ mood today!” He confirmed, nodding eagerly. “Would you like a cup of coffee? I’m afraid you’ll have to wait, though! I only just started brewing.” He waved a hand towards the machines in emphasis. “But if you’d like some tea instead, I can get a kettle boiling right away! No questions asked!”

Hina nodded, understanding. “Oh, I can wait! Hey! How about we drink our coffee together today?!” She lifted an eyebrow and gave him a radiant smile, obviously telling him that he could refuse the invitation if he so wished.

Of course not! It was rare that he and Hina had a meal together; how could he refuse such a loving gesture of friendship?!

“I’d be delighted!”

Seeming to accept that as an answer and not needing to say anything further on that topic, Hina just nodded and began rummaging through one of the numerous cabinets lining the walls. As she did so, they spent a few minutes together in peaceful, friendly silence. Taka began to make the preparations for his own pot of tea. He loved his tea! He was extraordinarily found of rose tea, thanks to his dear friend Makoto sharing a cup with him every so often, and he had just decided that today was the perfect day for such a tea!

“Hey, did you talk to Mondo last night?” Hina suddenly asked.

Images of what he had done with Mondo last night suddenly burst through Taka’s mind – hot, the rough feel of Mondo’s hand gripping tightly onto his hair, his own teeth sinking into him and hearing a satisfying moan in response, “ _don’t stop_ ” – and he dropped the teacup he had been in the middle of pulling out of the cabinet.

“UGH!” Taka screamed as he immediately dove to the ground, frantically picking up china fragments. He heard Hina behind him opening a cabinet, “I’m so sorry, Hina! I CAN’T BELIEVE HOW CLUMSY I AM TODAY!”

Hina just swept up the tinier fragments as Taka ran to toss the larger pieces into a convenient trash can. “Aw, it’s alright, Taka!” She soothed him before grabbing another cup from the cabinet herself. She flashed him another smile. “Here ya go! Is this one okay?”

Taka nodded glumly, his good mood already starting to fade despite how hot his face felt. He took the cup and poured some (not quite boiling) water from the whistling kettle into it. “Yes, thank you, Hina,” He mumbled. He rubbed hard at his face as he prayed that maybe it would make the funny sensation in his stomach go away.  He forced himself to pull himself together; he was being silly! “Would you like a cup of rose tea? It’s really quite nice!” He began when Hina pushed herself towards him, staring him hard in the face.

“So did you?” She insisted, her expression intense and extremely serious for the normally happy-go-lucky girl. Taka felt himself turn red. “Talk to Mondo?” She clarified after a moment of him staring at her in stunned silence.

There hadn’t be a lot of talking after a certain point and he was pretty sure that _wasn’t_ what Hina was talking about – how in the world did she even know Mondo came to talk to him?! – so he just cleared his throat. He nodded, feeling unable to lie to her. “Yes,” His voice was not shaking or cracking as he managed to smile at Hina, “I went to… tutor him yesterday in his room.”

She nodded hard, looking rather pleased with this answer. “Good!” She slapped him hard on the back, nearly knocking him off of his feet and onto the floor. “You know, we were all real worried about you! But I’m glad there’s nothing to worry about!” Hina beamed and picked up his cup and her glass of water, clearly taking them to the dining room so that they could drink them together.

He quickly followed behind her, picking up her plate in order to –

Mondo was sitting at one of the tables closest to the windows, his face looking like death warmed over as he glared up at the artificial lights like they were personally causing his obvious discomfort. He wasn’t really dressed, only wearing a t-shirt and some pajama bottoms that Taka was pretty sure he had spotted on the floor of his room at one point. No shoes or socks either, Taka noticed. Had he really walked barefoot all the way to the dining room? His hair was an absolute _disaster_ , too. Hina let out a squeak and rushed over to his significant other, almost slamming the cups of beverages onto the table.

She stared at Taka and then at Mondo and her face turned a rather adorable shade of magenta. “Oh!” She turned her head rapidly between the two of them, looking as if she was watching a rather intense game of tennis. “Oh! Am I interrupting something?!” Hina looked absolutely delighted with the idea.

“ _No_ ,” Mondo growled as he grabbed the closest cup – Taka’s cup of rose tea – to him and took a huge swig from it. He made a face but swallowed, shaking his head. “That is fuckin’ _nasty_ , Taka,” He scolded as he slammed it back onto the saucer.

“I don’t like sugar with my tea,” Taka explained helpfully.

Mondo made a face and made a grumbling noise as he took another, more tentative sip. “Still fuckin’ nasty,” That seemed to be enough for him because this time, he pushed it away from him and towards the seat in front of him. His head then sank to the table, landing with a soft thud.

Taka stared at him, baffled. He was clearly exhausted. What did he think he was doing getting out of bed so early? Well, it wasn’t as if he didn’t appreciate it; how nice it was that Mondo was meeting the day head-on like this! But he was more curious about _why_ ; between the group of classmates he had helpfully dubbed the Late Risers, only Makoto and Leon were more often awake later than Mondo. They all loved their sleep!

“Coffee,” Mondo demanded instead of explaining.

Hina jumped up, grinning brightly at Taka. “Oh, allow me!” She waved him towards the empty seat and quickly charged back into the kitchen so quickly that he could swear she left behind an imprint of where she had once been. Taka didn’t understand what was going on but he took the seat anyway, pulling his twice-insulted cup of tea towards him. 

Mondo reached across the table and, surprisingly, took Taka’s other hand.

(Mondo didn’t usually start the affection.)

“Mornin’, Taka,” He said though from the bedraggled expression on his face, he looked like he was still mentally in bed rather than already facing the day. He seemed to have to force himself into a more up-right sitting position instead of leaning his face against the table. He rubbed hard at his neck where –

Taka turned red as he watched Mondo rub at the hickey. His heart seemed to do something funny in his chest like it was doing somersaults instead of just pumping blood around his circulatory system like it normally did.

“Good morning, Mondo!” He said instead, giving him his best and brightest smile.

Mondo smiled.


	3. Date 101

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> So there he was... on a date.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Danganronpa is not mine or else I would be able to spell it correctly without looking it up. Neither are any of the places that I'm Bland Naming in these next few chapters.

**Date 101**

Mondo folded his arms across his chest, his face bright red and wonderin’ what exactly the fuck he was doing here.

Well, he _knew_ what he was doing, he wasn’t fuckin’ stupid. He was… on a date.

Or was going to be, once Taka showed up.

They had had a very _long_ conversation over their relationship after his telling him about the jealousy thing. Apparently, it was all Taka needed to show off the fuck-load of lists that he’d written out doin’ “research” on dating. (Mondo had burned the pages from the roleplay research.) Research was apparently girl manga and anime, some of Toko’s romance crap, magazines, and apparently, he’d even roped _Chihiro_ into it by having him make a few accounts on some forums that ‘specifically catered to dating advice and ideas for “maintaining a relationship.” They were “quite informative!” and had more or less given Taka the basics on what they needed.

Apparently part of their problems was them not going out or some shit? Taka had agreed with the anonymous people in the forum, saying that they needed to spend more time together outside of school.

So there Mondo was. In the middle of a crowded as fuck shopping center, leaning against a storefront as he waited for his boyfriend to show up for their first date.

It was real crowded, even for a Saturday.

The plan was Monald’s. Mondo had a hankerin’ for a burger and Taka, despite wanting to take him to a very nice restaurant because it was a “very special occasion,” didn’t actually have alotta money. (Mondo had still been really touched, though he wasn’t gonna admit it, that Taka had wanted to take _him_ out.) Then they were gonna go to a bookstore because Taka wanted to check out some study guides or somethin’. Mondo was gonna check out some gaming store that Hiro had told ‘im about. Then they’d go back to school and study a while.

Simple.

Easy.

Nothin’ he hadn’t done before.

His stomach was full of butterflies, anyway.

He narrowed his eyes, mentally kicking himself while ignoring the way how several people near him suddenly jumped and started movin’ faster to get away from him. (He was used to it.) Why the fuck was he nervous?! It was _just_ Taka! Wasn’t like they hadn’t gotten food together before! Hell, that was in his boyfriend’s stupid-ass list of rules that they _had_ to eat together at least a few times a week! They had breakfast that fuckin’ morning at six in the _goddamn_ _morning_ just to talk ‘bout where they wanted to go today!

(Because it was their actual first date and he wanted it to go well.)

Mondo turned his eyes up towards the ceiling and mentally counted down from ten to keep from exploding from embarrassment. Yeah. He did want it to go well. He’d even dressed up nice and shit for this. He had on an actual button-down shirt (he’d gone out on a free day and bought the black shirt especially for today) and some slacks that were only _technically_ part of his school uniform and had combed his hair. He’d cleaned his loafers as best as he could with a toothbrush and soap. He’d left his Crazy Diamonds coat in his dorm. He’d begged Takemichi back home to let him borrow a bit of money and _yes_ , he’d be doing all sortsa favors for ‘im once he came to see him during vacation, he _promised_ , just give ‘im a little extra cash so his boyfriend could get whatever he wanted on their date because his part-time job didn’t pay him til next week.

(His bro, Takemichi, God fuckin’ bless him, had only said that he wanted to know more about Taka and how long they’d been dating so _call him_ for fuckin’ once when the date was over.)

So he was ready.

He had some cash.

He was all dressed up.

He looked good.

… So _what_ if it was their first date after dating for nearly four months, what the fuck was the matter with that? They were busy at school! Sakura hadn’t taken Kyoko out for a date til nearly a year after they got together and they had a _great_ relationship! This wasn’t him bein’ a little bitch or anythin’ about dating, they were just gettin’ around to it.

Right.

He was fuckin’ _valid_.

A sudden blur of white passed by right in front of him and he watched as Taka walked up towards him. Taka even had his hand at his eyebrow, clearly lookin’ around at the crowd lookin’ for something. Wait. Did… Taka just walk _past_ him?

“Taka!” He shouted, making his boyfriend jump like three feet in the air. He whipped around, spotted him, did a double-take, and marched over.

“ _Where is your jacket_?” Taka demanded, his eyes wide like he had just seen a ghost. As if he was trying to making it appear out of nothin’, Taka reached over and tugged on the shirt sleeves that Mondo had rolled up to his elbow. Taka looked him up and down and then stared at him with so much shock that it was actually kinda _insulting_. “Did someone steal it?!”

How the fuck could someone steal a coat that he was always wearing?

“I dressed up, Taka,” Mondo snapped, “It’s a fuckin’ _date_.”

“Oh.”

Taka was dressed in his usual uniform and he tugged at his own sleeves, looking a little self-conscious. Then he perked up. “Well, you look very nice!” He said and for a split second, Mondo could swear that Taka was _actually checking him out_. He gulped and grinned back a bit. “You should dress up more often!” Taka nodded to himself before leaning up and giving Mondo a kiss on the cheek.

(New rule number one: They both had to be more (discreetly) affectionate in public because they were dating.)

(And Taka wanted to touch him.) 

His cheek felt warm even after Taka pulled away and immediately, he reached out and took his boyfriend’s hand.

“Uh, yeah, thanks.”

Smooth, real damn _smooth_ , Owada. He wanted to fuckin’ smack himself.

(Jesus Christ.)

But Taka still beamed at him and he felt less stupid. They walked off, their hands swinging between them.

* * *

 

“Taka.”

Taka blinked at the mention of his name but didn’t say anythin’ even when Mondo poked him in the side to get his attention. Good fuckin’ lord. He was really hardcore focused on the glowing electronic menu on the wall, apparently unable to decide what burger he wanted. Mondo gave the cashier a very sorry smile (So. Fuckin’. _Sorry_.).

“Ya want me ta-?”

“ _I can do it_!” Taka declared, whipping around to glare at Mondo before turning that intense look back on the menu. Mondo feared for his life for about two seconds, even throwing his hands up to protect his face, before remembering wait, this was his _fucking tiny ass boyfriend_ , not a pissed off tiger. “Which do you recommend? I’ve never been here before!” He said this to the cashier who just stared at him and then at Mondo as if to ask if he was serious.

Mondo nodded because holy fuckin’ _shit_ , if he had known that Taka had never been to a Monald’s before, he would have never brought him here.

Fuck this.

“Just give ‘im a Big Mon,” Mondo decided, shaking his head. At finally getting something ordered, the girl started poppin’ at buttons. “Give me one of ‘em, too, and a soda. Veggie juice for him.”

“Small, medium, or large?” She asked.

Mondo looked over at a now pouting Taka. “Small, medium, or large?” He repeated.

“Small…”

“Small juice, large soda. I don’t want fries,” though he was totally going to steal some from Taka ‘cause he could never fuckin’ finish his fries and he just wanted like, two, “And that’s it.”

“I’ve got it!” Taka blurted out, holding out a small coin purse and beginning to fish something out. Because of fuckin’ course he had a coin purse. Mondo was about to tell him to put his money away, that he _had_ fuckin’ money) but there were… holy fuckin’ shit, Taka was actually about to _cry_ from the way his lip was trembling and the snot and shit hanging from his nose. He finally held out a very wrinkled bill and Mondo just let him pay.

He was a piece of shit, he was a piece of shit.

By the time their burgers were ready, Taka had calmed down and was back to his normal self. “This is the very first time I’ve ever been here!” He declared again as Mondo flopped down next to him. He looked pumped and was staring at his burger as if he had never seen one in person or somethin’. “This is very exciting! Thank you, Mondo!”

Mondo took a chug of his Cola. “What, you never come here with your buds or somethin’?” He joked. “Guess they wanted to ditch you or somethin’.”

Taka looked like he was swallowed a lemon instead of juice and mumbled something under his breath, turning so red that even his ears were changing color.

“… ya didn’t have friends ‘til ya came to Hope’s Peak?” Mondo asked.

His boyfriend nodded.

Well, that wasn’t _surprisin’_ or anything but that was… still kinda… wow. Mondo remembered how much of a stick up the ass Taka had been when they first met, demanding everyone get along ‘cause he was part of the Morals Committee and, eventually, the class prez. He’d been on his case from day one, screaming at him that his coat wasn’t in regulations, that his hair wasn’t “proper for a learning environment,” that he couldn’t yell at anyone just ‘cause they pissed him off ( _Taka_ had been the one on his fuckin’ nerves and they’d almost gotten into a fist fight), that he better study for their tests and junk, and that…

He had to make friends _because being the Ultimate Biker Gang Leader wasn’t an excuse_.

In fact… if he really thought about it, Taka’d done the same for nearly _everyone_ in the class even when everyone fuckin’ roasted ‘im for it and they’d _all_ become buddies, even the ones who would have normally been anti-social and not made friends at all. Between him and Makoto, they’d brought the entire class together.

Aw, _shit_.

Mondo took a larger gulp to not say anything about how fuckin’ sad that it was that his boyfriend was such a fuckin’ loser or that it was kinda… sweet that he had been, in his own way, lookin’ out for ‘em all from the very beginning.

“Uh… I got a friend Takemichi back home,” He said instead. “He’s part of my gang. I left ‘im in charge ‘til I get back.”

Taka perked up at this. “I bet he’s really nice!” He smiled, though if it was ‘cause Mondo had a friend outside of Hope’s Peak or somethin’, Mondo didn’t actually know. “I have my father! I guess you could call him my very best friend! I highly respect him!”

“Well, uh… my entire family is dead so that’s cool.”

_That_ killed the conversation so they just sat there in silence as Taka ate his burger and Mondo stole his fries.

Jesus fuck, why couldn’t he have a goddamn _normal_ conversation? Fuckin’ small talk wasn’t his strong suit. Now that he was thinkin’ about it, this was actually the first time they’d really ever talked ‘bout stuff outside of school. With Hope Peak’s huge course load and their pals in class and history an’ math and junk, their actual home life just hadn’t… come up.

(He didn’t know a goddamn thing about Taka.)

Mondo scratched at his nose and put down his half-eaten burger, staring hard at Taka who was looking down at his tray. Fuck it. This was his goddamn boyfriend and yeah, it was awkward, but he was gonna make the fuckin’ effort anyway.

He reached into his pocket, pulled out his cellphone, and flipped through the gallery til he found the picture he was lookin’ for.

“This is my brother, Daiya,” He said as he held it out to Taka to take. Taka, looking a little surprised, took it and stared at the little screen, studying the picture closely. It was a picture of Mondo and Daiya when he was younger (before Daiya had died), both of them on their bikes and grinning up at the camera while holding up peace signs. Daiya had one hand resting on his lil bro’s shoulder. “He raised me after our folks died. He was the best.”

“He looks really nice?” Taka said and while Mondo could tell that yeah, maybe the scary-looking dude wasn’t _exactly_ what a lotta people would call nice or anythin’, Taka was still being good to him, even if he didn’t even know the guy. He did appreciate Taka trying to make the effort for him. “Could you tell me about him? Please?”

The please was what did it.

(His brother was somethin’ he didn’t think he’d talk about with Taka but he wanted him to know ‘im for some reason.)

There were a lotta stories he could tell ‘bout his bro. Stories about how he raised him, the crap they got into as kids when his folks were still alive, a lotta times when they were in the Crazy Diamonds together, when they first got the very first bike, a hell of a lotta good memories of Daiya that Taka would either think were cool (cause Daiya was super cool) or maybe give ‘im a lecture about being a “hooligan” or somethin’.

Mondo took a sip of his drink and grinned. “Depends. You gonna get mad at me for “wanton destruction of public property” or somethin’?”

Taka made a face and stared at him. “Of course not! That happened long before you came to Hope’s Peak Academy!”

He wasn’t sure what the fuck the difference was but okay…?

“Alright then, so my bro…”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I feel like I should note that McDonald's in Japan actually sells veggie juice and that YES I DID RESEARCH INTO JAPANESE MCDONALD'S. I just couldn't see Taka drinking soda.  
> Also, for my sake, because I'm older than legal American age and if anyone's wondering, they're both 18 and this is their final year in high school. The Killing Game never happened but I'm keeping Monokuma as the headmaster because I think it's funny.


	4. Present 101

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Just a small token of Taka's appreciation

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is just a really short chapter because I saw this on Amazon. Danganronpa is not mine (neither is this fucking mug.)

**Present 101**

Kyoko looked at the mug in her hand for a few moments before her steady gaze went back to Taka’s face. “I don’t think Mondo would like a mug that says “I don’t snore, I dream I’m a motorcycle,” Taka,” She said solemnly as she reached across the table to hand it back to him.

His heart sank.

But… but when he saw it in the store, he was instantly reminded of his significant other! And he liked coffee! It was PERFECT!

Kyoko just stared hard at him and shook her head no. 

* * *

 

Hiro stared at the coffee mug and burst into hysterical laughter.

Taka felt his face go hot and he shoved the mug back into his bag. It wasn’t like it was all that particularly funny! But no! Hiro was doubled over on the table, wheezing so hard he was almost _violet in the face_ , and there were tears pouring from his eyes as he pointed towards where Taka had placed the mug.

“GET ME A PICTURE OF HIS _FACE_!!!”

* * *

 

Byakuya didn’t even touch the mug, merely pushed it to the side of his desk with a light tap of his pencil. “Get this _garbage_ off of my desk,” He deadpanned with an aristocratic roll of his eyes, lifting an eyebrow as Taka moved to take it back. “And let me get you the website of an actually _decent_ store where you can buy a better beverage holder.” He smirked. “Who knows, maybe Mondo will actually drink out of _that_ one.”

* * *

 

Hina’s face fell so fast when she saw the mug that Taka just picked it up and left the gym.

* * *

 

 Makoto smiled as he read the text on the mug.

“Oh, uh… it’s… cool. I think he would really like it?”

It was a very polite smile as if his friend didn’t know what to think or say about the mug that Taka had shown him. He turned a little pink and shrugged _completely unhelpfully_.

“Thank you, Makoto, you were very informative,” Taka shoved it back into his bag and stormed off.

* * *

 

In the end, when Taka handed over the mug in near tears, Mondo just snorted.

“You’re a fuckin’ dork,” he said and gave him a kiss on the forehead. Taka’s face burned with humiliation but the amusement on Mondo’s face had been worth the insult. “Thanks, Taka.”

(Mondo used the mug for his coffee every morning for a solid week.)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I would kill a man for Yasuhiro Hagakure, TBH.


	5. Dating 101

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Taka gets to do new things each day.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Of course, none of Danganronpa belongs to me. Not even the stores.

**Dating 101**

The phone rang like normal, despite how badly Taka’s stomach was twisting with each individual ring. He was very, very nervous! He could feel the emotion in how his chest felt _tight_ as if he had someone squeezing his heart and he had to swipe at the sweat starting to bead on his forehead before it could start to drip into his eyes. He gritted his teeth.

As if he was standing right next to him speaking into his ear, all of a sudden, Taka imagined what his significant other would say to him.

(Hey, calm down, won’tcha? You’re gonna be okay, alright?)

And then he felt _stupid_.

Ahh, he was so ashamed of himself! If there was a hole somewhere around here, he’d totally jump into it! It was a complete embarrassment, his (fear) completely illogical feeling! He was not qualified to even be on the morals committee, let alone be the leader of it! He was being _absolutely_ silly!

He had done nothing wrong (despite how he felt guilty) and he was only calling as a courtesy as he always had! 

It was a perfectly natural thing for him to do!

 It was fine. He was just…

“This is the AK Police Department,” His father’s voice, for the first time in his entire life, sent a shock of ice-cold fear straight down his spine as if it was an ice cube, “This is Inspector-“

“AH~! GOOD MORNING, FATHER!” Taka interrupted and even though his father couldn’t see him, Taka automatically bowed for a moment before straightening up. “It’s me, Kiyotaka! I’m glad I caught you!”

His father’s surprised silence was broken by a pleased: “Kiyotaka! Hello!” There was a shuffling sound in the background of the line as his father (probably) moved some papers around on his desk.

He sounded very happy to hear from him, which wasn’t surprising! Taka had had to move away from home in order to even be able to _come_ to Hope’s Peak Academy and they only saw each other very infrequently during school holidays. He spoke to him even less on the phone because of how busy they both were and how little money Taka had to spare from his allowance in order to call him. (It made him feel terrible to ask his friends to let him borrow their cellphones.) They usually kept each other informed of their lives by letter or email and even _those_ communications were rare and infrequent due to their busy schedules.

 But they still loved each other and neither minded it; they knew the other was there.

“It’s good to hear from you, son,” Takaaki Ishimaru said, “You caught me at quite the best time! I was about to go to lunch. What is it?”

Taka froze before blurting out: “Father, I wanted to inform you on a new development in my school life!”

This was too important to leave to the impersonal whim of a letter that would reach his father many days too late!

(He wanted to tell him in person)

“A new development?” Takaaki sounded a little confused, “Are your studies not going well…?”

“Oh, no, they’re going _fantastic_! I assure you!” Taka clarified with a laugh, “Just the other day, I was tutoring my friends in the Class 78th in all sorts of subjects! Just the other day Chihiro and I studied literature together! Do you remember my friend? And my teacher said that I could borrow one of his personal books to further understand the Roman Empire that I was so interested in!”

His father chuckled, making Taka smile back. “Well, that sounds good… I’m glad that you’ve made friends,” His voice turned thoughtful, “Is it something to do with one of your friends? Your development?”

Taka’s face turned hot and he coughed, rubbing hard at his throat as he spoke.

“Yes, Father…”

He could almost feel his father’s stare on him.

“Kii,” his father’s pet name for him sounded firm and serious in a way that it never had before, “Is one of your friends in trouble? Do you need me to come to see you?”

Tears prickled at the edge of Taka’s eyes as he beamed at the phone. His father, without hesitation, was willing to spend a great deal of money just to come see him and make sure his friends were alright, despite having never met them! The sweet gesture touched him and he was assured of his father’s love!

“Father, I am dating someone now!”

Silence.

Taka opened his mouth to say something ( _anything_ ) to reassure his father-

“Kii, that’s wonderful!” His father exploded and he laughed, sounding the most delighted he had ever heard them, “You must tell me everything. What’s her name? Is she in your class?”

A girl.

Right.

Because that would have been the _expected_ thing of him, wouldn’t it…?

Instead of…

( _Hey, you’re still my bro, ya know?)_

( _Hey… Kiyotaka. Here. Hope ya like it.)_

His mouth tasted like copper as he spoke. “Father, his name is Mondo, he is indeed in my class,” He clarified for him.

The other end was silent.

Taka closed his eyes and gritted his teeth. “He is in my class! He’s very kind to me! He’s not one of the better students but he’s been trying very, _very_ hard and his grades have been improving as of late!” His father wasn’t saying anything, why wasn’t he saying anything?! “We have a date on Saturday! We’re going to go to the shopping center and I am going to buy some study guides so we can study together! We-”

“Kii, I’d like to meet this Mondo,” His father said firmly, cutting his son off before he could even finish his sentence. His voice was low, soothing, as if he was trying to calm down a wild animal. Taka sucked in a hard breath that he hadn’t realized he needed. “It sounds like you care about him very much… and if it’s not interfering with your studies, I think this will be good for you.”

There was something thoughtful and… _happy_ in his father’s voice.

And he did, he did care about Mondo very much. They’d only been dating for a few months and been friends for a little longer than that, but he _did_ care about Mondo very much!

(He loved him very much.)

Instead of speaking, however, Taka just made a noise that confirmed this for his father.

“Well, then, I’d like to talk to Mondo,” Takaaki said again and the sound of his father’s amused chuckle felt like a balm on Taka’s soul, “Kii, be sure to bring him along the next time you come home, alright? Now, tell me about your day, alright, son?”

Within a few days, Taka had gotten an envelope in the mail that had a handful of crumpled bills inside of it and a small missive instead of the usual long letter asking about his day.

All it said was: “Be sure to treat him, Kii.”

* * *

 

Mondo looked a little bored but was dutifully following behind him as Taka browsed the shelves of study guides. That was one for history – general Japanese history was Taka’s personal strong suit but he loved learning about other countries as well! – and there were ones for literature and math and –

“Hey, uh, Taka?”

_That_ was a very good general guide for early mathematics on that shelf; he’d borrowed it from the library when he was in his first year in middle school… perhaps it’d be a good idea to brush up on the basics? He paused as he checked the price of the book, flipping it around in his hand as he pondered.

“Taka.”

It wasn’t as if it was a _bad_ idea to go over the basics! He may have been amongst the top three students of Class 78th, constantly battling against Kyoko and Byakuya for the coveted first spot in their favorite subjects, but it was always a good idea to look it over again! He added it to his pile.

All of a sudden, a book was thrust into his face, startling him and making him jump. Mondo smirked and waggled it in his face. “Taka, you really gotta pay better attention when your boyfriend is talkin’ to ya,” He teased. Taka stammered out an apology but Mondo just held out the book again, smirking at him as he took it. “Hey, that one’s a history one, right? Ya think it’s good for me?” He looked embarrassed at asking, even scratching at a blushing cheek as he spoke. “I mean… you’re the class prez. It’d be bad if your boyfriend is fuckin’ stupid, right?”

His face immediately fell, turning from embarrassed to him scowling angrily.

“Shit, I don't even wanna think about it,” He muttered

“You’re not stupid,” Taka said firmly (because he _wasn’t_ ) and took a better look at the history workbook. He recognized it as a pretty good general overview on Japanese history in particular. It started all the way in the beginning with the Yayoi period in roughly 300 CE to the Yamato state all the way to the end of the Heisei period. It wasn’t as if the current period or the Paleolithic or Jomon period would _really_ be all that important on their history tests… although he could see a question or two being on them… but either way! This would be a very good guide to start with! He nodded, grinning at Mondo. “But this one’s _very_ good! I can help you with it!” He promised.

His significant other took it back, bouncing it in his hand. There was a very odd look on his face as he looked at it. As Taka watched, his face turned pinker and pinker until finally, Mondo just turned around to stare at the bookshelves again.

“… Ya gonna tutor me like last time?”

It took a moment before Taka realized _exactly_ what Mondo was talking about. He dropped all of his book and spluttered. It sounded like for two seconds, he had briefly had a stroke and had forgotten how to speak. Finally, he managed a high-pitched, voice-cracking “ _MONDO_!” before he rapidly closed the small distance between them to smack his shoulder.

Mondo burst into loud laughter, reached around, and rubbed his knuckles rapidly over Taka’s head, a gesture he had learned was called a “noogie.”

Taka glared at him and pouted.

(Mondo still bought the book.)

* * *

 

“So these Japanese cavemen guys –“

“The Japanese Paleolithic era!”

“Yeah, those guys,” Mondo paused at a storefront, peering inside for a moment at a mannequin wearing a bright red hoodie before continuing on their walk. After the bookstore, they had decided to walk around the shopping center for a while as Mondo hadn’t been all that interested in the game store after all. “So you’re tellin’ me that this whole fuckin’ historical record thing was ruined ‘cause _one_ asshole started buryin’ fake shit?”

Somehow, the conversation over the history book had turned into a discussion over Japanese history in general and although it wasn’t his strongest subject, Mondo was really making the effort to follow along!

Taka bristled and nodded hard. “Yes! It was terribly, horribly morally wrong!” He shook his fist at the injustice performed, “They caught him via hidden cameras and it was quite the scandal!” 

Mondo scoffed, shaking his head. “The nerve of some fuckin’ people,” he mused. He stopped again and this time, he froze, staring very seriously into the shop. “Hey, Taka? I got a serious question for ya,” He said, tilting his head and narrowing his eyes at Taka. “So what do ya think about dogs?”

Dogs…?

Taka cupped his chin, taking a moment to think about it.

Well, he’d never _had_ a dog? It had just been his father, his grandfather, and himself growing up. He remembered that as a very young child, he’d desperately wanted a pet (a friend) to be there for him whenever he came home from elementary school. Now that he was thinking about it, he must have asked for a dog or any other pet when he was just entering elementary school! There must have been a storybook that inspired the idea in him and he had pleaded for ages to have a puppy for his birthday or something. It had gotten a patient but firm no from his father and he had cried for days until his father had sat him down and confided in him, like an adult, that they just couldn’t afford a pet and that he was sorry. His father’s words had strangely comforted the little Taka and he had resolved that maybe, when he was older, he could have a pet of his own one day.

“Well, I’m not opposed to them?” He hummed, frowning to himself. “I’ve never really been around them, though.”

“WHAT?!”

Taka suddenly felt himself being yanked forward as Mondo pulled him by the hand towards the store’s door. “WE GOTTA FIX THAT RIGHT NOW!” He slammed the door open and a thick, pungent smell wafted from inside of the store.

Oh.

It was a pet store!

It was a cramped little store with several large glass counters with large openings on the top to hold… Taka’s jaw dropped. Each and every counter held either a single or a group of puppies inside! There were black puppies, multi-colored puppies, white puppies, very long-haired puppies that looked like tiny fluff balls, short-haired puppies… he never knew there were so many kinds of puppies in the world! Without prompting, Taka let go of Mondo’s hand to walk towards one of the counters.

Inside, a group of three white-yellow puppies leapt to their feet to look back at him. They were all very small with floppy little ears, with little tiny black noses and paws that looked far too large for its tiny body and…. Taka’s face heated up as he bent down to examine them closer. They. Were. So. CUTE. The largest puppy shook its head at Taka and let out a high-pitched whine before tumbling over one of its siblings towards him. One of the smaller ones didn’t seem to like it and it jumped on top of it, nipping at its face and it quickly turned into a ball of wagging tails and paws pushing at each other.

“These are our golden retriever puppies!” The store clerk suddenly said, the girl giving him an encouraging nod as she gestured towards the playing mass. She was a girl not too much older than they were, with a very friendly face and short black hair. She beamed. “Would you like to hold one, sir? You just need to wash your hands first.”

“Oh. Um…” Taka stammered. “I’ve never held a dog before! Is it really okay?”

He turned towards his significant other to ask him if he wanted to hold the golden retriever but Mondo had apparently already been given permission and was cooing over a long-haired white puppy. “Oh, you look just like Chuck! Just like my baby boy! Oh, yes, you do!” He was rubbing the dog’s ears eagerly and the puppy was just melting in his arms, licking wildly at Mondo’s hands as he pet it. “Oh, who’s the best dog in the whole world? You!”

Mondo...

Taka almost felt like apologizing for his overeager behavior but Mondo just looked like he was having so much fun, he couldn’t bring himself to stop him.

The store clerk looked at him encouragingly. Taka coughed, embarrassed. Well… it seemed like it was the proper behavior for this store so… “Um, yes, please…”

The puppy was very carefully deposited into his arms after washing up and Taka felt like he was going to _die_.

“Damn, I’m lucky as shit! Aww, who’s the best doggie in the whole world!”

It was so small and warm and it wiggled a lot in Taka’s arms as he very slowly pet it. It yipped at him and Taka smiled at it. “Hello! I’m Kiyotaka!” The dog, very obviously, didn’t answer him back and just flopped in his arm, wiggling its bottom wildly as it stared up at him. “It’s very nice to meet you, Golden Retriever!” He scratched the top of its head and the puppy shook its head hard, its little ears slapping against Taka’s arm. Its very pink tongue flopped out and it yipped again. “You’re a very good boy!” He complimented.

“Actually, that one’s a girl,” The store clerk said helpfully.

Ah. Taka felt embarrassed. “A very good girl,” He corrected and the girl puppy almost seemed to smile up at him.

His heart felt like it was going to burst!

“I want one,” He whined to Mondo, almost sounding like one of the puppies himself.

Mondo grinned and the white dog in his arms barked.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Two things: Chuck and Takaaki. One, Mondo had to interact with a dog at SOME point. (Because he's a good boy and good boys deserve puppies.)   
> Two, I can't see Takaaki being angry with Taka being gay. From what I know about him (I've only played the first game but I have a source) he loves his son very, very much. He's not... well, angry... more like very surprised but ultimately, it doesn't change his love for his son. As it should be. That is my two cents on that.


End file.
